Happy Tuesday!
Have you been on LinkedIn recently? There's a super viral post going around...
The #desperate banner was created by a women named Courtney Summer Myers who was laid off 9 months ago due to "redundancy".
Courtney's been sharing her struggle with finding full-time work on LinkedIn (over 500 applications sent and only a handful of terrible interviews).
Out of frustration, she created the #desperate banner to address the stigma around being unemployed.
And she struck a nerve.
Big time.
Her post has over 200,000 reactions, 5000 comments and people have even started using her #desperate profile badge.
I had a visceral reaction to her post too.
Because I've been desperate.
Rummaging through the couch cushions for change desperate.
Running out to the hydro truck to beg them to not turn off my power desperate.
Missed mortgage payments desperate.
Choosing which bill to pay "on time" desperate.
One of the lowest points in my life was being fired from my full-time job.
No, I wasn't laid off due to redundancy like Courtney.
I was full blown fired, terminated, don't let the door hit you on the way out - fired.
You might be thinking, oh my gosh Megan, were you a horrible employee?
Did you steal from the company?
Get black out drunk at the Christmas party?
Nope.
Much like Courtney, my dismissal had absolutely nothing to do with me.
The bottom line is my manager didn't like me.
I was put on a performance improvement plan because I was too "fluffy" and didn't "hold people's feet to the fire".
I kid you not, those were the reasons stated.
My manager didn't like my personality.
So he fired me.
And the way he did it was plain cruel.
It was the same week my teammates got raises. Everyone was abuzz with how much of an increase they might get. 2%? 2.5% OMG!
Then it was my turn. I sat down in the conference room. He looked at me, didn't say a word and pushed a piece of paper across the table.
My employment was terminated.
As a cherry on top, they had sequestered the entire department into a meeting room on another floor so when I left the conference room the floor was empty.
Save for a brown box sitting on my desk.
You know, that brown box.
One of the assistant managers stood there while I packed up my stuff and walked me to the doors.
I was humiliated.
I sat in the parking lot and cried. And cried.
That was it for me.
I resolved I would never allow something like this to ever happen to me again.
I would never let something as important as my livelihood be left in someone else's hands.
Left in the hands of a crappy manager with a vendetta and something to prove.
Left in the hands of a company whose bottom line is more important than the lives of it's employees.
Left in the hands of some middle manager to decide if I should be fired due to personality or terminated due to redundancy.
I don't think any of us have been untouched by this in some way.
It doesn't have to be losing your job.
It could be looking for your very first job out of college (with the student loan debt looming).
It could be not getting the raise you were promised.
It could be getting passed over for the promotion you've been working so hard for.
It could be not having enough sick days to take care of your mental health.
I'm thankful I learned this life lesson early.
It was hard.
But not impossible.
I never went back to a full-time job after that. It's been over 10 years.
I built redundancy in my career.
Side jobs.
Client work.
Passive income.
Freelancing work.
I was not leaving my destiny chance (and in the hands of a guy named Mike).
It doesn't matter how nice you are, how nice your boss is, how many years you have put into your company, how hard you work - you need to take control of your destiny.
And this course shows you how.
Build a side hustle, replace your full-time income, or just learn how to network and connect with others. Take your power back and control of your livelihood.
If you are unemployed or just feeling #desperate, I'm here. It gets better, but it helps to have someone in your corner in the meantime.
You got this... 🫶🏼
~ Megan
👋🏼 Hi, I'm Megan!
I'm a business coach & digital marketer who spends time in the Bay Area and the mountains of British Columbia. Each week I share stories, ideas, and resources to help you build a profitable business & life you love.
